How bad have things gotten between Demi Moore and her three daughters? On the heels of reports that Rumer, 23, Scout, 21, and Tallulah, 18, have been giving their mom the silent treatment comes talk that the girls are "seriously considering" taking out a restraining order.

"Demi has been calling them incessantly and emailing them, leaving them tearful messages and begging them to call her, and the girls are sick of it," a source alleged to Radar Online. "It is a really drastic measure and not something they are considering lightly, but they just feel like they want some peace and quiet."

But both Us Weekly and the Chicago Sun-Times insist the Willis girls don't plan to restrain Moore legally, but they do want her to take a step back.

"It's true they're not all hunky-dory, getting along like they used to, but they're not about to go to those extremes!" an insider explains to Us Weekly. "They love their mom at the end of the day, and they're never going to completely abandon her."

Moore, 49, has faced a difficult road since splitting from Ashton Kutcher in November. In January, a rumored laughing gas-induced seizure led to her hospitalization, followed by a monthlong stay in rehab.

"Demi is so terribly needy and very fragile right now," a spy adds to the Sun-Times. "Yes, she went to rehab and, yes, she is sincerely trying to get her life back together, but she has been driving the girls a bit nuts."

One major source of tension, alleges Radar, is Rumer, Scout and Tallulah's continued closeness with their stepdad, whose wandering eye apparently contributed to the breakup.

"The girls have all stayed friends with Ashton, and that is infuriating Demi," purports a spy. "She doesn't understand how they could stay close with Ashton after he humiliated her, and she's asked them to stop talking with him but they refuse."

The best thing right now, say insiders, would be some breathing room between mother and daughters.

"They all do need their space from the drama and the negativity -- Scout in particular," opines the Us confidant.

Adds the Sun-Times source, "Demi has spent so much time trying to be her kids' pal and their contemporary, she's lost a bit of her role as a parent. … There needs to be space in that relationship. You can't be your children's friends all the time. It's just not healthy in the long run."